Backport 2.3.1 images to 2.2

There are loads of multiple images contributions for 2.2, I even made one myself years ago. Since 2.3.1 came out I have been quite impressed with the admin functionality and shop funtionality of the multiple image system – I previously blogged about it here.

Last week, a new client (still on osCommerce 2.2) approached me wanting to add up to 12 images per product – easily possible, but I thought it would be good to backport the 2.3.1 system.

The reason I decided to do this is two-fold;

1. I like the 2.3.1 images system.
2. If the client ever upgrades from 2.2 to 2.3.1 it is simple to use the same images table.

Older images systems in 2.2

Most, if not all, of the older ways to add multiple images involve adding new rows to the products table. products_image2, products_image3 and so on. I needed to update a 2.2 shop to 2.3.1, and that shop had multiple rows added like this – which meant more work for me – I had to write a script to take the images from the products table (2.2) and transfer them to the new products_images table (2.3.1).

I’ll bundle it up as a contribution as soon as I have time.